Workshop Guardians

The Workshop Guardians 

Typically, this can involve responsibilities like: 

  • Managing an allocated workshop space throughout the festival with a team mate, with the support of the workshop leadership team
  • Supporting the leadership team with advertisement & amendments of upcoming workshops
  • Supporting the ticketing of the workshop queues
  • Ensuring workshops have the correct number of attendees and ‘opening’ and ‘closing’ workshop spaces within a set timeframe
  • Supporting the needs of workshop providers in collaboration with the technical team
  • Communicating well with your team mates and leadership team and asking for help and / or support if you need it
  • The potential of being able to absorb, rationalise and communicate in response to some peoples frustrations at not being able to get into a workshop of their choosing

During the festival you will be asked to do one shift per day, of roughly five-hours - plus attending a mid-morning meeting of about one hour in length (this is not compulsory but may be beneficial for you).

The main body of the work is during the festival, from Wednesday 17th July at around midday through to Sunday 21st July until late evening. However, we ask that you arrive on Monday 15th July to support us with set up, meet the team and receive training in the role, as well as helping to close the spaces at the end of the festival. All meals/ drinks / snacks will be provided whilst you are on site during these times.

This role is for you if:

- You want to be part of a small community of 20 or so people working-together, with a backstage-insight into one of the most important parts of the festival. (It's possible to also camp together if you prefer to really stick as a tribe). We aim to create good camaraderie, teamwork on shift, and a supportive culture of non-judgement and encouragement all the way through the festival journey... You will be classed as crew and so welcome in the crew areas of the site.

- You feel confident communicating with people you don't know, sometimes crowds, and holding empathic boundaries where the person might be disappointed. - We will provide some training.

- You can work with timetables and schedules, cross-referencing the programme-timings across several venues.

- You are a quick-thinker and can problem-solve situations arising, to diffuse stress and keep the schedules running on time.

- (non-essential but preferred) You have some knowledge of PA soundsystems and/or working with Marquee type structures.

- This role is not for you if you want your festival days free with flexibility to attend things whenever you choose, or if you can only be on site for a limited number of days.

In return, we offer:

  • A festival ticket
  • Camping pitch and/or live-in parking
  • A vehicle pass, if needed
  • The opportunity to be part of a positive, right livelihood, Buddhist-focused community
  • 3 delicious vegan meals per day ( including non working days if allocated ) prepared, cooked and served with love
  • Hot drinks throughout the day
  • Meditation, yoga, dharma discussions, dance, talks, fun & games, fires, stories, songs and community

The number of volunteers for workshops has increased significantly this year and we are incorporating a different way of managing workshops to ensure our volunteers get a positive festival / work life balance. We welcome applicants who have experience of volunteering for Buddhafield workshops previously as well as those who have no experience who feel they have an aptitude for the role.

In accordance with new legal guidelines for all festival volunteers, all of our successful applicants for this role will be asked to join a one to one online or telephone discussion with Ali Jaffray (Workshop Volunteer Recruitment) for an informal chat about the role. This will be an opportunity to discuss any queries and / or clarify roles, shifts and availability timeframes.

Key Dates

  • Arrive on site: Monday 15th July
  • First day of work: Monday 15th July evening
  • Festival: Wednesday, 17th July at around midday through to Sunday 21st July until late evening.
  • Last day working on site: Pack up and checkout on Monday morning 22nd July.
  • Leave Site: lunchtime Monday 22 July

Application for Workshop Guardians may be open until 1st June, 2024. We will not process applications until after this date, so please wait to hear from us until at least a couple of weeks from then before getting in touch. We will not be able to advise on the status of your application until then. We will let you know either way whether you have been successful or not. 

If we get a large number of applications, we may close early, so please apply as soon as you can